Author: Thandi Mosholi (South Africa) | Published on 24 December 2025
Read what Thandi says about this activity:
This activity helps learners to develop speaking, reading, communication and writing skills as well as teamwork, critical thinking, creativity and visual expression. Learners will explore climate-related vocabulary and parts of speech to understand the effects of climate change better and promote environmental awareness.
Stage 1: Warm Up (Pre-teach) – ‘Weather Watch’ (7 minutes)
Objective: Activate prior knowledge and introduce the climate theme
Activity: Learners share observations about local weather and environmental changes
Record responses on the board
Skills: Speaking, observation and vocabulary
Stage 2: Pre-teaching vocabulary & Grammar introduction (10-12 minutes)
Objective: Introduce key climate vocabulary and parts of speech
Activity:
Draw a table on the board with four columns: verb, noun, adjective, other.
Read out a series of words to the class. As you read each word, nominate a learner to write it in the correct column, with help from their classmates.
These words are carbon, greenhouse, conserve, drought, emit, pollution, renewable, recycle, adapt, global, toxic, and sustainable.
Stage 3: Input Task – Guided practice (15 minutes)
Objective: Practice identifying and using parts of speech
Activity:
Learners copy down a paragraph to their workbooks about climate change.
This is the paragraph:
| Climate change is a global problem that affects every living creature on Earth. It causes extreme weather, rising sea levels, and biodiversity loss. Scientists worldwide study these changes to understand their causes and consequences. A strong and effective response is necessary to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and slow the planet's warming. They believe that urgent action is necessary to protect the environment for future generations. If we work together and make responsible choices, we can help create a healthier, more sustainable world. |
Next present, learners with a class challenge: Display a chart on the board with a table containing verbs, adjectives, adverbs, nouns, and pronouns. Then, shout out a verb, an adjective, a noun, or a pronoun. If it’s a verb, learners face the front; if it’s an adjective, they face the right; if it’s a noun, they face left; if it’s a pronoun, they face the back.
Then ask them to underline verbs, circle adjectives, and put adverbs and nouns inside a rectangle.
Allow them some time to check their answers together and answer any disagreements which come up.
Stage 4: TPR Game
Write or draw the instructions for a game on the board with the following instructions:
If you hear a verb, turn left.
If you hear a noun, turn right.
If you hear an adjective, jump once.
If you hear any other class of word, clap once.
After the learners have got the hang of the game, increase the challenge by using other words from the same family as those you have already looked at i.e. sustain’ instead of ‘sustainable.’ Allow learners to take turns shouting out the words.
Stage 4: Output – Main activity & Role play (20 minutes)
Objective: Apply grammar knowledge through creative speaking.
Activity:
Learners role-play in a ‘Community Climate Meeting’. They act as villagers discussing climate change solutions. Write the roles on the board and then ask each group of students to share the roles among them.
- Farmer: you want to share knowledge about adopting and recommending climate-smart farming practices such as drought-resistant crops
- Teacher: you want the group to understand about environmental protection through education Local leader: You want to develop local rules that protect the environment
- Learner: You want to participate in climate action clubs that engage in tree planting and recycling
- Health worker: You want to talk about the health impacts of climate change, such as malaria and waterborne diseases.
Talk together and decide what you can do for your environment with one week and $100.
As you monitor the discussions, identify and write down noteworthy sentences they have used on the board. At the end of the lesson, learners identify the correct and incorrect sentences. They can correct the incorrect ones.
Stage 5: Wrap-up
Ask the class, ’What can you do to fight climate change?’ Invite individual learners to share their ideas.